Traveling through Naruto with Heroes of Might and Magic.

Qingwu lay in his own tent, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.

He now had a better understanding of who Mei Terumi was; that woman was always fickle, and once she was at a disadvantage, she would "confess and take the beating."

But if they gain the upper hand, they will become even more aggressive.

Perhaps, when she wakes up tomorrow, that woman will have forgotten what she said tonight.

Another point is that, perhaps in order to maintain the "airs" and "image" of the five great ninja villages, the mission's speed was simply too slow.

The slow pace of travel, and the constant possibility of facing Mei Mei's ambiguous gaze, made him feel an invisible constraint and a drain on his energy.

He then thought of the Tree of Life, which now had all the natural energy and gold resources he needed, just waiting for him to return to his territory to upgrade it.

After upgrading, the skill unlocks the Tier 7 barracks [Dragon Cliff], and combat power will experience another leap.

At this point, he simply didn't have the patience to waste any more time.

Oh, and there's also that kid Shisui. We can't even contact the spirit snake that Shinji Tenshin uses; he's probably been confined by his family.

More importantly, the third generation has returned to the village!

Qingwu doesn't know the exact time of the event that happened in the original work, nor does he know if Zhishui has changed in the present, or if it will cause a butterfly effect.

It's hard to say. If Shisui does what he did in the original story and deliberately reveals his eye technique to Konoha, the tragedy might still happen.

Thinking of this, Qingwu had the idea of ​​"escaping" again.

In contrast, escorting the Mizukage's convoy to Konoha at a leisurely pace, while important, doesn't seem to be... the most urgent matter at the moment.

With Kisame Hoshigaki, Anko, and Tenzo there, and Mei Terumi herself being quite strong, there shouldn't be any major concerns about their safety.

As for diplomatic etiquette, Konoha naturally has dedicated diplomats and the Hokage to handle it.

The idea became clearer and clearer in his mind: rather than suffering "psychological torment" here, he should return to Konoha and upgrade the ancient tree.

At that time, his strength will experience another leap forward, which will be crucial for him to cope with future changes.

Moreover, it allows us to learn about the current situation in Konoha in advance, especially about Shisui and the Uchiha clan.

As for the potential problems that might arise from leaving without saying goodbye...

Qingwu thought about it and felt that it wasn't a big problem.

Given his current achievements and status, and the fact that the mission to welcome him is already more than halfway complete—he will enter the heart of the Land of Fire tomorrow.

Although leaving early was a bit impolite, Mizukage Terumi Mei should be able to understand.

In any case, blaming each other won't affect relations between the two countries.

The Third Hokage might have objections, but... we can't worry about that now.

"Let's do it this way!"

Qingwu made up his mind. He quickly wrote a short note for Hongdou and Tianzang and nailed it to the pole inside the tent with a kunai.

They then contacted Princess Tianxin.

Under the cover of Tianxin Shenji's illusion, they left the camp without alerting anyone.

Several miles away from the camp, he summoned the Silver Pegasus and flew into the dark night sky.

Destination: Towards Konoha!

……

Meanwhile, in Konoha Village, in the Hokage's office.

Night had fallen, and most of the lights in the Hokage Building were off, except for the Hokage's office on the top floor, which was still lit.

In fact, Hiruzen Sarutobi would never have worked overtime this late in the past.

However, he had been away from the village for several months and had accumulated a lot of official business, and recently there had been a lot of important matters to attend to.

This resulted in him working very late every night after he returned.

Hiruzen Sarutobi had just finished processing a batch of urgent documents regarding the reception of the Kirigakure delegation and the final verification of the Kumogakure peace treaty, and felt a wave of exhaustion.

He rubbed his temples, then habitually picked up the pipe on the table, preparing to light it.

Enjoy this rare moment of tranquility after a long day at work.

Knock knock knock!

Just then, there was a gentle knock on the office door.

……

Chapter 256 Shisui's Proposal

Who would be knocking at this hour?

Hiruzen Sarutobi paused in his act of lighting a cigarette, his brows furrowing slightly.

Who would come at this hour without an appointment? The secret service would report directly if there was an emergency, and the advisors usually wouldn't bother us this late.

"Come in," he said in a deep voice.

The door was pushed open, a figure flashed in, and then the door was quickly closed again.

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked up, slightly taken aback: "Shisui?"

The newcomer was none other than Uchiha Shisui.

He wore a Konoha headband on his forehead, and his face appeared somewhat pale under the light, but his eyes held a resolute determination, as if he had nothing to lose.

"Lord Hokage."

Zhi Shui walked to the desk, knelt down on one knee respectfully, but did not stand up immediately as usual.

"Get up quickly, stop the water."

Hiruzen Sarutobi put down his pipe, feeling somewhat puzzled.

He had heard that Shizuku had resigned from the Shadow Guard due to illness, but he was too busy to deal with the matter yet.

Moreover, he had recently heard that there might be some problems within the Uchiha clan, but he didn't expect Shisui to suddenly come to him at this time.

"Weren't you feeling unwell and resting at home? Why are you here at this time? Is there something urgent?" the Third Hokage asked gently.

Shisui didn't get up, but instead raised his head, looking directly at Hiruzen Sarutobi, his voice tense but incredibly clear:

"Lord Hokage, I... I've come to confess everything to you, and my resignation from the Shadow Guard was something I was forced to submit."

"What?" Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression turned serious, and he sat up straight. "Forced? Shisui, what exactly happened? Tell me slowly."

The members of the Shadow Guard were all personally selected by him, the Hokage.

The reason Uchiha Shisui was brought in was not just because of his character, but because it was hoped that a bridge could be built between him and the increasingly tense Uchiha clan.

Forced? Hiruzen Sarutobi knew, of course, that only the Uchiha clan could force Shisui, and a nameless anger rose within him.

Shisui took a deep breath, as if using all his strength, and said, "The root of the problem lies in my Mangekyou Sharingan, my Mangekyou eye technique—Kotoamatsukami!"

Kotoamatsukami!?

What is that?!

The Third Hokage pondered for a moment, realizing he had never seen it in any records or intelligence!

"The power of Kotoamatsukami is..."

Shisui's voice trembled slightly, but he still insisted on continuing: "It is possible to invade the mind of the other party without their knowledge, and directly and permanently modify their will..."

boom--!

It was as if a thunderbolt had exploded in Hiruzen Sarutobi's mind! Permanently altering one's will?!

What a terrifying, what an incredible ability!

This is simply... simply...

No wonder the Uchiha clan wanted to control Shisui, no wonder...

He abruptly stood up, placed his hands on the table, stared intently at Zhishui, and spoke with an unprecedented gravity:

“Shisui, do you...do you know what you’re saying? This ability…”

“I know!” Zhishui interrupted him excitedly, her eyes filled with pain and struggle. “It’s because of its horror that I’m restless day and night. My family wants me to…”

The third generation's pupils contracted, his attention completely focused on Shisui's narration.

Unbeknownst to them, a figure released his hand from the office doorknob and stood quietly in the doorway, listening.

"Uchiha radicals..."

"Using 'Kotoamatsukami' on me, the Hokage?"

"Change our views and policies towards the Uchiha clan, and even... make the Uchiha the successors to the next Hokage!?"

Despite having anticipated it, hearing firsthand that the radical Uchiha clan dared to plot such an evil way to deal with him still sent a chill down Hiruzen Sarutobi's spine.

These Uchiha lunatics! How dare they?!

"The family plan is set for the next few days. I'll create an opportunity for myself to 'bump into' you, and then..."

Shisui's voice lowered, filled with guilt and despair:

“I…I cannot condone this approach! It violates the code of the ninja and goes against my own conscience! I do not want the Uchiha to go down this path of no return.”

"Therefore, I have come here tonight at the risk of my life to confess everything to you! Lord Hokage, I am willing to accept any punishment, I only ask... I only ask that you give the Uchiha clan a chance."

"Don't take your anger out on all the clan members because of the stupidity of the radicals in my clan! Many of them, including the clan chief Fugaku, are actually still hesitant and conflicted!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's chest heaved violently as he forcefully suppressed his surging anger and shock.

He looked at the pale-faced boy kneeling on the ground, his eyes filled with pleading and determination, and felt a mix of emotions.

Enraged by the Uchiha's insane ambition, shocked by the terror of "Kotoamatsukami," and of course, a trace of... relief!

I'm so glad I brought Shisui into the Shadow Guard back then, and I'm so glad Shisui chose to be honest today instead of submitting to his family, otherwise... the consequences would have been unimaginable!

But then again, Shisui has such illusionary abilities, who knows if he can activate them silently, or if he can resist them?

The Third Hokage was unsure whether he would be able to detect if Shisui used his power against him at this moment.

Thinking of this, the Third Hokage's gaze towards Shisui inevitably changed once again.